With the first pick in the NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls take ____________? There are only two choices for GM John Paxson to make, Derrick Rose of Memphis or Michael Beasley. Whatever decision he makes, it will explain the confidence he has in his own job with the Bulls. Purely from ability and ready to go talent, Beasley is the choice and would provide new coach Vinny Del Negro immediate help. Rose on the other hand would play one of the most important positions on the floor. As talented as Rose is, nobody has mentioned him being as good as Chris Paul a couple of seasons ago and would not come into the NBA as top-10 point guard from the get-go. He’s not known as exceptional passer at this juncture, thus would need to develop, does Paxson have the time to wait?A few sportsbooks have Rose at 1-8 odds and Beasley at 4-1 to be the top pick and would have to agree the former Memphis star is headed back to his home town.
Beasley at number two is not a given for Miami. After being listed at 6’10 coming out of high school, the former K-State star was recalibrated and is couple of centimeters either way of 6’8, depending who you listen to. Miami’s Pat Riley holds the second pick and speculation is rising he has serious reservations about Beasley’s character, with the most common word used to describe him being “goofy”. In a league that goes after disgraced a NBA referee to get shoe money back for opprobrious behavior, selecting a Disney character might be a reach.
Sources around the NBA have stated the Heat had secret workouts with Pac-10 guard stars Jerryd Bayless and O.J. Mayo. Riley would prefer to have a running mate with Dwayne Wade in the backcourt and are shopping Beasley or willing to trade pick to move down and draft one of the two aforementioned players.
At this time, what the Heat will do is not known, thus we can only deal with the present possibilities. Other wagers at various sportsbooks include draft positions to wager on. According to front office leaks, if Mayo is still available at #3, Minnesota will select him, proving why this wager is 4/15 odds. At four, Seattle wants to start building a solid backcourt and anyone other than Bayless is a reach, though Russell Westbrook and Eric Gordon have been thrown around on Sonics blogs. Bayless is 4/5, with Westbrook interesting play at 9/4.
Kevin Love is his own prop wager, trying to guess where he might go in slots five-ten. He’s at 2-3 odds to be taken by Memphis; however they are not enamored with him and will likely be drafting him for somebody else. If that does happen, numbers eight or nine are the most logical slots, being Milwaukee and Charlotte. Though Love makes sense in either location depending on front office thoughts, despot owners have other ideas, making 6-1 odds seem like a long shot.
Here are a few other head-to-head prop bets to consider, in who is drafted higher.
Joe Alexander -130
Danillo Gallinari +100
Joe Alexander speaks fluent Mandarin and could converse with Yi Jianlian; this should not be enough of a reason for Milwaukee to draft him. Gallinari goes to New Jersey at 10 and Alexander likely to Sacramento at 12th slot.
Brook Lopez +135
Kevin Love -170
The Oregon native and UCLA star is destined to be picked earlier, though unlike Lopez, might not be with the team that chooses him for long.
Eric Gordon -210
Danillo Gallinari +165
Gordon’s stock has improved the last three weeks and will be chosen in 6-9 range, ahead of the top European prospect.
Other prop wagers are also available and here is a look at some of those.
Courtney Lee will be taken in first or second round?
A modest -140 is reasonable for a player with scoring skills, who undoubtedly will be chosen in the later stages of the first round.
Brandon Rush will be a lottery pick? (1-14)
With most draft boards having Rush at 15 or higher, this is worth a small wager that Rush is picked by Portland at 13. Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard has his frontcourt of the future with Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge and will need to start adding players in the backcourt. Rush can play defense, is superior athlete and shooting range has improved dramatically in years at Kansas. Take the +140 and keep fingers crossed.
Joe Alexander will be 8th pick in the draft
As noted previously, unless a multitude of trades occur, the Bucks would be foolish to take a player who really only produced in his junior year at West Virginia. Is this a sign of continued improvement or a player reaching his potential? His workout numbers were very good, but most NBA teams draft on need and potential, does he fit either for the Bucks? The +200 not to be 8th pick seems like a gift, however we are talking about the Milwaukee front office, where logic does not dictate success.
Roy Hibbert Over/Under 19.5 draft position
No team with needs in the top 19 spots has a need for a limited athlete like Hibbert. He deserves credit for working hard and improving every year at Georgetown, he seems destined to be a career backup. Take the -130 on the Over.
Brook Lopez +135
Kevin Love -170
The Oregon native and UCLA star is destined to be picked earlier, though unlike Lopez, might not be with the team that chooses him for long.
Eric Gordon -210
Danillo Gallinari +165
Gordon’s stock has improved the last three weeks and will be chosen in 6-9 range, ahead of the top European prospect.
Other prop wagers are also available and here is a look at some of those.
Courtney Lee will be taken in first or second round?
A modest -140 is reasonable for a player with scoring skills, who undoubtedly will be chosen in the later stages of the first round.
Brandon Rush will be a lottery pick? (1-14)
With most draft boards having Rush at 15 or higher, this is worth a small wager that Rush is picked by Portland at 13. Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard has his frontcourt of the future with Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge and will need to start adding players in the backcourt. Rush can play defense, is superior athlete and shooting range has improved dramatically in years at Kansas. Take the +140 and keep fingers crossed.
Joe Alexander will be 8th pick in the draft
As noted previously, unless a multitude of trades occur, the Bucks would be foolish to take a player who really only produced in his junior year at West Virginia. Is this a sign of continued improvement or a player reaching his potential? His workout numbers were very good, but most NBA teams draft on need and potential, does he fit either for the Bucks? The +200 not to be 8th pick seems like a gift, however we are talking about the Milwaukee front office, where logic does not dictate success.
Roy Hibbert Over/Under 19.5 draft position
No team with needs in the top 19 spots has a need for a limited athlete like Hibbert. He deserves credit for working hard and improving every year at Georgetown, he seems destined to be a career backup. Take the -130 on the Over.
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